After all that hard work: Ratu Inoke Kubuabola and Bob Carr (Photo:Fairfax Media)

Relations between Fiji and Australia have taken a sudden turn for the worse and it now appears highly unlikely that the Government will accept a new Australian High Commissioner in Suva. Attitudes have hardened just as the diplomat chosen for the job – Margaret Twomey, Australia’s current ambassador to Russia – has been preparing to move to Suva to take up her appointment. Once again, the freeze has been prompted by Canberra’s continuing sanctions against Fiji and especially the comprehensive travel bans it has placed on Fijians associated with the military and the Bainimarama Government.

The Government is incensed that Australia has refused a visa to the CEO of the Fiji National Provident Fund, Aisake Taito, to enable him to travel there on official business. Mr Taito planned to hold a series of meetings with investment advisors and consultants to discuss ways to boost the superannuation savings of every Fijian worker. Canberra has said no. So the Government’s position is clear and unequivocal. This is no longer a case of punishing the Bainimarama Government. It is a dagger at the heart of every Fijian who relies on the FNPF to grow their hard-earned savings and ensure a secure and dignified retirement.

Banned: FNPF chief Aisake Taito (Photo:C4.5)

As unfriendly acts go, it doesn’t get much more blatant as Fiji sees it. Australia keeps saying that its so-called “smart” sanctions aren’t aimed at ordinary Fijians. Well this one is, Prime Minister Gillard. And rest assured, there will be consequences. Yes, it’s unfortunate given all the hard work to build bridges undertaken by Fiji’s Foreign Minister, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, with his Australian counterpart, Bob Carr. But Fiji cannot and will not accept a situation in which its ordinary citizens are disadvantaged by a sanctions policy that is both capricious and unjust.

It’s worth examining that policy in detail to appreciate the outrageous nature of Australia’s behavior towards Fiji compared with its treatment of other countries and especially some of the most brutal regimes in the world. The policy is outlined in a document labeled the “Autonomous Sanctions Regulations 2011” that was promulgated just over a year ago. Various sanctions are applied not just against Fiji but countries such as Burma, Iran, Syria, Libya, North Korea and Zimbabwe. Yes, folks, this is what Australia really thinks of Fiji, to lump it in with the world’s biggest pariahs where human rights violations are routine and human life is cheap. Sound like us? It makes a dual Fijian-Australian citizen like Grubsheet cringe with annoyance and embarrassment.

The relevant Australian legislation

Incredibly, Australia’s sanctions against Fiji are more stringent and wide-ranging than anything it imposes against these genuine pariahs when it comes to travel to Australia. In fact, most Fijians don’t realise the full extent of those covered by the travel bans and are bound to be shocked and appalled when they find out. As the relevant document puts it, the following are liable to be banned from travelling to, entering or remaining in Australia:

(a) Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama.

(b) A person who the Minister is satisfied is a supporter of the coup with which Commodore Bainimarama is associated, based on any combination of the person’s position, actions and statements.

(c) A Minister of the interim government.

(d) An officer of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces of the rank of Warrant Officer or higher.

(e) An immediate family member of a person mentioned in paragraph (a), (b), (c) or (d)

(f) A member of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces.

(g) A person who the Minister is satisfied is a senior public servant appointed by the interim government.

(h) A person appointed to, or otherwise engaged on, a government board or a quasi-government board by the interim government.

(i) A member of the judiciary of Fiji.

These provisions – taken as a whole – apply to no other country. Yes, amazingly, they are more comprehensive than Australia’s travel bans on the citizens of such countries as Burma, North Korea, Iran, Libya and Syria. In the case of Syria, 60,000 people have been killed so far as the Syrian Government engages in the brutal suppression of it citizens. Yet the only Syrians barred from Australia are those who are known to be responsible for human rights abuses and the use of violence against civilians.

Read the Fijian provisions carefully and especially Section B. If you even say – let alone write – that you support the events of 2006, you are liable to be banned from Australia. Yes, any ordinary citizen. But then Section E makes it clear that the ban also applies to an immediate family member of any person who says they support the events of 2006. So that if your brother or sister, father or mother were to say “ Oh, Frank was right to do what he did “ you too can be banned from Australia. Incredible but true.

This is not just an outrageous attack on ordinary Fijians by the Australian Government. It is an outrageous attack on the principle of free speech. We all know that there is widespread support in the country for the events of 2006. Indeed, the only opinion poll conducted since then by the Lowy Institute gave the Prime Minister a 67 per cent approval rating. But as the Australians see it, you can’t express your view that what Frank Bainimarama did was correct without risking a travel ban to Australia. And worse, if one of your family members does so, the ban also applies to you, even if you happen to oppose what he did. Can you believe it?

Never mind explaining itself to the Fijian Government, it’s high time for the Australian Government to explain this extraordinary policy to ordinary Fijians. And, yes, it’s also time to draw a line in the sand. For Australia’s arrogance, its determination to get its own way in Fiji, has gone way too far.

Its travel bans have degraded the quality of governance in Fiji by depriving us of our best minds. If you’re smart and want to help the country, Australia puts obstacles in the way of you doing so. If you want to take a senior civil service job or sit on a government board, you have to accept that you can never visit Australia, never go and see members of your family there or take in the sights of Sydney. Small wonder that so few people make the sacrifice because the price extracted by the Australian Government is so high. And of course that affects the rest of us when it comes to the quality of decision making and the provision of government services.

Even more incredible is the fact that the bans also apply to foreigners in Fiji who take government jobs, sit on boards or become judges. None of the Sri Lankan members of the judiciary can visit Australia. Even the CEO of Air Pacific, Dave Flieger, can’t visit Australia. Why? Because he has also taken the job of Chairman of Tourism Fiji, a government statutory body. Think about it. An American citizen who presides over the fortunes of an airline 46 per cent owned by the Australian national airline, Qantas, is banned from visiting Australia, which also happens to be Air Pacific’s biggest market. For starters, it’s an outrageous restriction on trade and the right of travel of an American citizen to one of its ANZUS partners. But it’s yet another way of Australia trying to damage Fiji’s economy and the lives of ordinary people, who rely on the proper governance of our public instrumentalities for their own welfare.

There’s a strange twist to this saga that provides an extraordinary insight into the current state of Australian politics. Australia’s Foreign Minister, Bob Carr, has made it known that he personally opposes his own Government’s policy but can do nothing about it. Why? Because of the stranglehold of the Australian Council of Trade Unions on the fortunes of Julia Gillard’s Labor Government. The union factions within the ACTU actually decide who will be Prime Minister and Ms Gillard was installed after they lost confidence in her predecessor, Kevin Rudd. So as long as the unions decide that Fiji must be punished for the Bainimarama Government’s union reforms, the Australian sanctions will remain in place. Such is the nature of Australian politics and its damaging effect on the region. A group of unelected union officials dictating Australian policy towards Fiji. And they talk about a dictatorship in Fiji? The irony isn’t lost on Fijians even if it’s lost on the Australian Government.

Missing out all round: Margaret Twomey (Photo:SMH)

The great shame about Fiji feeling obliged to turn away the new Australian High Commissioner to make its point is that Margaret Twomey is such a terrific appointment. She knows Fiji well, having been Deputy Head of Mission in Suva several years ago and has many local friends and acquaintances. She understands Fiji like few other diplomats and is known to be sympathetic to its challenges. The fact that she was due to come to Suva from the prestigious post of Ambassador to the Russian Federation was also a reflection of the importance Bob Carr and the rest of DFAT place on a successful outcome in 2014. But alas, all that – it seems – will come to nought.

It’s doubtless a blow to both Bob Carr and our Foreign Minister, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, who has worked hard to improve Fiji’s relations with both Australia and New Zealand. But from Fiji’s viewpoint, Australia needed to show that it was willing to accept the progress being made here – half a million people registered for an election based on equal votes of equal value for the first time and a constitution being formulated to introduce true parliamentary democracy for the first time. Instead, it continues to insist on lumping us in with the Burmese, the North Koreans, the Iranians, the Libyans, the Syrians and the Zimbabweans. And punishing us even more than them. Well OK, Cobbers, if that’s how it is with you, this is how it’s going to be with us. Back into the deep freeze while we engage with countries that treat us with a lot more respect.

57 Comments

Marc Edge, your comment has been deleted because it is not relevant to this discussion. I laid down the rules about this some time ago.This item is not about your relocation to Canada, however freezing it might be. It’s not always about you, however much that must rankle.

What a brilliantly written piece making the Fiji regime out to be the victim. But that is far from the truth. If we look at your argument you are saying that the regime will block Twomeys appointment to Fiji. It seems that Australia is still willing to send her to Fiji as High Commissioner.

Surely Fiji would be better served allowing such a high powered diplomat to be posted to Suva. That way they can have an ongoing discussion with Australia and try and use diplomacy to make the changes to the sanctions rather than reacting like a spoilt child.

It was the AG and his team who wrote the Essential Industries Decree. A decree which has broken a number of International Agreements to which Fiji was a signatory. A decree which Yash Ghai has said needs to be amended if it is to comply with the Human Rights Norm. It was also a decree which the AG felt he was unable to defend when he deported the ILO last year. That is the main reasons that the Unions are so up in arms. Oh and also the fact a number of unionists have been beaten and harassed by the regime and the police are not carrying out any investigation into those allegations.

You also claim that Aisake Taito is just a normal citizen in Fiji going about his work. That is far from the case he was personally appointed to the position by Bainimarama. I know you will claim it was a board decision but we know who appoints the boards. In addition he is the brother in law of the President of Fiji. He has a close relationship with the man who signs every human rights abusing decree passed by this regime.

So please stop playing the victim. If this regime would take responsibility for its actions we could all move Fiji forward a whole lot faster.

“Fiji Regime is not a Victim”, so you think that Fiji deserves to be treated in a worse manner than these genuine pariahs when it comes to travel sanctions. I am not here to disabuse you of your anti-Fijian sentiment but the policy is unconscionable and Australia has no right to complain if Fiji chooses to retaliate. This is not “playing the victim”. It is a fundamental question of sovereignty and Fiji is entitled to assert itself. You may not like it but that policy will undoubtedly have the backing of most Fijians, who are sick of Australia’s bullying tactics in the region. The same goes for its other Melanesian neighbours.

Graham if these (Western)countries were consistent with behaviour and attitude to weaker countries i would be too happy to accept whatever they throw at us the simple fact is Fiji has kicked their arses so hard out of the ball park they trying all they can to make life as misrable as they can for all the Fijians. The concept is that by making things difficult the Fijians will rise up and protest against the Bainimarama Govt ! Sorry it ain’t happening.We are the first country in the Pacific to stand up to their big brother bullying tactics and they just hate us for it-the Pacific Forum is now just another White elephant thanks to Aussie and NZ dopes trying to run the show. Go FIJI GO.

You are good with language. In your main post it was all about Fiji being the victim of Australian intransigence, bullying and stupidity. But now it is all Fiji asserting itself, sovereignty and those other words so beloved of tin pot dictators around the world.

So you are saying that Australia is wrong to stop the brother in law of the President of a dictatorial regime from entering its country. I am sure they would stop the brother in law of the President of Syria, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea etc. etc. from entering their country. I think in this they are being quite consistent.

If Fiji is going to stop Australia from sending a High Commissioner to Fiji and this is the reason then really there is no hope. It is just another example of the childish behavior of Bainimarama.

Another example as you well know is UK has not been allowed to send a High Commissioner to Fiji for nearly 18 months, all because of the puerile acts of retaliation by your paymaster, Bainimarama.
He could not get over the fact that the Foreign Office did not want to embarrass the queen by making her shake the hands of a Dictator’s brother, when in an act of nepotism Frank wanted to send his brother Meli to London as High Commissioner. Then to make it worse the UK would not let him come to the Olympics, but now they have really done it because they banned the dictator from every military base in the country in a rather public fashion.

Kubuabola and your mate Peter Thomson must be pulling their hair out. They have pulled off some great diplomatic coups over the past two years and then they are undone by the idiot in charge.

Perhaps Australia should re-look at the Smart Sanctions but trying to force their hand because they have banned the President’s brother in law really is stupid.

I tend to agree that we in Fiji should let diplomacy take it course i.e. allow the new Aussie and UK High Commissioners to come take up their positions in Fiji as a means of promoting dialogue aimed at resolving our political differences.

Anything that promotes dialogue aimed at ironing out our differences should be encouraged.

Playing a tit for tat game and being intransigent by refusing the Aussie and UK High Commissioners to take up their post, is not the way to go. Lets not make this a matter of national pride and triumphalism.

Lets seek dialogue and accommodation – Fiji promotes this to the outside world through its international peacekeeping missions, so why not demonstrate its credibility in that area by engaging with others? Fiji is now Chair of the G77 so it should show some maturity and leadership in the international relations arena.

The fact that Australia classifies Fiji in the same boat as Syria and North Korea etc, is their problem, not ours.

Lets engage, promote dialogue and consensus. We are the new Fiji and should show the world that we are sufficiently mature enough to engage others in a positive and meaningful way, rather responding like a petulant child in the international arena.

Happy New Year to my brother, Chand and his family. Bula Bro and all the best for 2013.

Your argument is kinda stupid – the real victims are the pensioners and their families. Taito was travelling on their behalf. he was going to represent them. Like the Australian govt, you can’t put politics aside can you? you put politics and geopolitical agendas before the people. We the people are being gang-banged by Fiji government, Australian government, supremacists and nationalists in the guise of democrats and naive commentators like you. And please do not go back to the begining of the 2006 coup and all that old stuff. I am talking about this specific incident, where Australian govt has put politics before the people.

What the hell has the President of Fiji done wrong but serve the nation in every way he can? Ratu Epeli Nailatikau is a paragon of virtue except in the eyes of you lot. The rest of the country respects him for doing his job in exceptionally challenging circumstances and doing it extremely well.

The same applies to Aisake Taito, who is working to reform a national superannuation fund that would have gone steadily broke but for the Bainimarama Government’s intervention. These are men of honour and achievement and don’t deserve this level of condemnation.

Yes, Tunai, was and always is an exemplary leader both in a military and civilian sense. He is doing a wonderful job.

@ Fiiji is Not a Victim

Just coz Taito is sleeping with the First Lady’s younger sister does not mean that he should be put in the same boat as the President. You are drawing a very long bow my friend.

It does not mean that he (Taito) should not be deserving of respect – hey, this guy has turned the FNPF around and is exploring overseas investment options that would yield greater gains for FNPF shareholders. Whats wrong with that?

Cin Cin, what an idiotic thing to say. If you think I’m going to emulate the lefty Kumbaya peaceniks of the Vietnam war and burn my Aussie passport, forget it.

I don’t detest Australia. I detest the Labor Government and the way it slavishly takes orders from the bovver boys of the ACTU. Fortunately,they will soon be gone because most Australian voters feel the same.

Pro regime supporters in Graham’s blogs don’t seem to understand a coup is a coup no matter what the underlining circumstances are which were never justified in Fiji. Look what we have now; which raises the question would it take another coup to right the wrongs of this coup. A deadly cycle with no end. OH MY GOD.TAKE ME NOW

You need a therapeutic one-on-one session with Rabuka, the father of coups in Fiji.

You need to tell him where you were, and what you did in 1987, to stop his coup!

Also ask him who were his main supporters. They were the ones who supported the exclusivist, ethno-nationalist agenda that Rabuka and his supporters supported.

Just coz other people don’t like Rabuka’s racist, ethno-centric agenda, does not mean that we are ‘pro-regime supporters’ on GD’s blog.

This blog is about a discussing issues in a balanced way. Its not about GD in a personal way.

If you want to peddle your ethno-nationalist thoughts, go talk to Suli Dauniveidulu and his mentor, John Baledrokadroka, who feeds all sorts of rubbish under the guise of academic analysis, to Suli. Both of therm need each and feed off each other

Give us a break Graham – you actually have a valid argument but you manage, as you often do, to turn it into a massive dummy spit.

‘……..This is not just an outrageous attack on ordinary Fijians by the Australian Government. It is an outrageous attack on the principle of free speech. ‘ Oh dear God, what have your mates been doing for the last 7 years?

‘…..But Fiji cannot and will not accept a situation in which its ordinary citizens are disadvantaged by a sanctions policy that is both capricious and unjust.’ Well, then stop overthrowing legally elected governments.

‘….Well OK, Cobbers, if that’s how it is with you, this is how it’s going to be with us. Back into the deep freeze while we engage with countries that treat us with a lot more respect.’ Well, off you go, I’m sure North Korea will revamp the FNPF for you and throw in a new constitution while they’re at it.

Cin Cin, my “dummy spits” aren’t half as spectacular as yours, the constant stomping of feet over the “overthrow of a legally elected government”. Oh you mean that totally corrupt government elected under a racial gerrymander that set about alienating the rights of 40 per cent of non- indigenous Fijians?

That’s right, Fijians, though how it must stick in your craw to have to confront use of this term for everyone. You ignore the fact that Frank Bainimarama is the defender of true democracy. He is introducing a true parliamentary democracy of equal votes of equal value for the first time in Fiji’s history.

You’re having a dummy spit not because of “democracy” but because your racist kai vata lost office in a revolution that was long overdue and has empowered all Fijians, not just a privileged few. Many of us are drinking to that. Cin Cin!

Save the ranting Graham – your defence of the downtrodden 40% would have been admirable during the Qarase administration but I can’t recall reading any articles penned by you leaping to the defence of…….um, arr, hmmm…..well anyone , for that matter.

As for the term ‘Fijians’, actually I don’t have an issue with its use by whomever chooses to use it…..unlike you and your mates, I just don’t happen to believe that you can change the habits of a lifetime overnight with a decree written by a second rate lawyer but good luck anyway.

And sorry, but who has been empowered in the last 6 years? My Indian friends who can now call themselves ‘Fijian’? Hasn’t made one iota of difference to them, doesn’t pay the bills, so to speak. My cousin who was requested to supply her own bed linen when being admitted to a hospital recently because the hospital couldn’t afford to supply it themselves

And Frank as the defender of true democracy? I think its nice that you havn’t lost your sense of humour………

Cin Cin, in answer to your latest put-down, I think you’ll find this was when Laisenia Qarase was still in power. Facts are not your greatest strength, are they? I – on the other hand – have been remarkably consistent over the years.

Fiji Army Chief Has Valid Cause
THE GOVERNMENT OF PRIME MINISTER LAISENIA QARASE, WITH ITS DANGEROUSLY DIVISIVE POLICIES, DESERVES NO SYMPATHY FROM AUSTRALIANS, WRITES GRAHAM DAVIS From: The Australian November 25, 2006 12:00AM

IT’S a tale of the South Pacific James Michener could never have imagined: Australian warships off the coast of Fiji and high noon in Suva between the Australian federal officer locals call James Bond, and the tough guy who heads one of the fiercest fighting units in the world.

Unfortunately it’s not fiction. Australia’s impotence in dealing with events on its doorstep is about to be demonstrated in a way the Howard Government would never have envisaged when it launched its policy of active engagement in the affairs of its island neighbours.

It seemed like a good idea to send the debonair Andrew Hughes to Fiji as police commissioner. The local force was demoralised and corrupt, and criminal activity was widespread.

The Aussie import has turned the force around, putting local bovver boys on the back foot and emerging in a recent opinion poll as the country’s most popular public figure. But Hughes may find himself in trouble now he’s decided to go head to head with the commander of Fiji’s military forces, Frank Bainimarama.

The plot goes like this: Hughes wants Bainimarama to come in for an interview over his threats to remove the elected Government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. The police chief is muttering about sedition and a range of other alleged offences. But Bainimarama has instead flown to New Zealand for a christening.

Bainimarama wants the Government to drop two key pieces of legislation: an amnesty for those involved in George Speight’s 2000 coup and a bill that would give indigenous Fijians the right to claim money from other ethnic groups for using coastal waters.

The military chief maintains neither is in the national interest and has garnered significant community support for his stance.

He has now added another demand that is far from popular in Suva or Canberra: the removal of Hughes as police commissioner. That must be done, he says, in the same two-week timeframe as his other demands.

And although Bainimarama is talking about a clean-up campaign rather than a coup, Australia’s Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says he fears a coup within two weeks and has issued fresh travel advisories for Fiji.

The reasons Bainimarama has made the tough statements he has – crude as they may seem to the casual observer – are not properly understood in Australia.

I’m not alone among Fiji-born Australians in being perplexed at the Howard Government’s support for the Qarase Government. It is a racist Government pursuing racist policies, and has in its ranks many of the shadowy figures behind the 2000 coup who are desperate to avoid justice.

Race has always been at the heart of Fijian politics, especially the divide between indigenous Fijians and the descendants of the Indians brought to Fiji by British colonialists in the 19th century.

But it is Qarase who has made race an issue in this stoush, hitherto a power struggle between indigenous Fijians – Qarase and Bainimarama – that the Indians have wisely avoided.

When a Fiji Times-Tebbut poll last week showed that most of the Indians questioned sympathised with Bainimarama, it was the cue for Qarase to play the race card. On Wednesday he told parliament: “It is deeply troubling that the majority of one section of the community seems to favour military intervention in government. This is the conclusion to be drawn. The other major ethnic group does not support this. This leaves us in a finely balanced and potentially dangerous situation.”

This is classic Qarase, an oblique message to his extremist Fijian supporters that the Indians favour his removal and to act accordingly. This is tantamount to unleashing the dogs of race on the basis of a poll of only 1000 people of all ethnicities. Small wonder Bainimarama is incensed and so many Fijian citizens of all races find themselves wondering about the true worth of democracy, if this is what it delivers.

It evidently hasn’t reached Downer’s ears that many would prefer Bainimarama to seize power and return it to civilian hands when the country is stabilised. Jerry Rawlings did it in Ghana, Olusegun Obasanjo did it in Nigeria: both were military men who subsequently became popularly elected civilian leaders.

Bainimarama opposes an amnesty for the perpetrators of the 2000 coup – some of whom are in Qarase’s cabinet – in order to stop Fiji’s cycle of coups, not perpetuate it. And he opposes the qoliqoli or coastal resources bill because it is inherently racist.

Fijian law already enshrines indigenous ownership of more than 80 per cent of the land, so there is no question of Fijians being dispossessed. By giving them dominion over coastal waters, Qarase is forcing other Fijian citizens to pay to use a resource that should be universally accessible.

Already, individual Fijians have been intercepting groups of people, including foreign tourists, at sea and demanding money before allowing them to resume their journeys. Yet when the country’s peak tourism body said the qoliqoli bill could spell the beginning of the end for tourism, the country’s biggest revenue earner, Qarase accused it of trying to sabotage the national economy.

Unlike the Prime Minister, Bainimarama is a committed multiracialist who subscribes to the vision of Fiji’s founding father, Ratu Kamisese Mara, of a nation in which Fijian rights are respected but all races are treated equally.

The military chief has many friends among Indians and other ethnic groups, having attended the multiracial Marist Brothers High School in Suva.

If Bainimarama does seize power, as Downer now expects, he’ll only be taking back what he gave Qarase when he invited him to form a government after locking up Speight in 2000.

What’s not appreciated in Australia is the intensity of his rage at what he sees as Qarase’s betrayal of the understandings between them, especially the need to punish those behind the coup.

Instead, Qarase brought many of the coup-makers into government and now wants a general amnesty that would lead to the likes of Speight being pardoned.

The Prime Minister could be about to learn the truth of an old adage: the hand that giveth also taketh away.

Cin Cin

Posted January 5, 2013 at 1:46 AM

I’m sorry Graham, this article is from 2006 – when did Qarase first take office? You give the impression that you were on the case from day one of the Qarase administration.

And your writing then was as shrill as it is today – on that basis alone you have been consistent, so I should concede.

Varanitabua

Posted January 9, 2013 at 8:28 PM

Both Aussie & NZ thught that by calling in Bainimarama with Hughes they were going to give him a lesson ‘if you don’t do what we tell you you to do we are going to to come in and kick arse! That was the crux of the whole meeting-it simply back fired. They all under estimated Bainimarama remeber those that called him a fool, dope, no school, no experince -well lokk at what happend after that ? Some how all the SMART , University trained minds hard they cici kicked by a no school-so whose the no school. First rule of warfare don’t under estimate the next CICI-lest you burn yours first!

Kathy. Don’t speak your filth on behalf of me. Read what I wrote. Did it say I supported any of fiji’s coup? the problem with coups, it’s the innocents that are caught in the crossfire. And for what? So that we can have one ideology in one coup and another ideology in another.

As a holder of dual Australian/Fijian citizenship, I wonder if I or others like you could have applied to become a Member of the Constituent Assembly? Thanks for your excellent piece putting our case on behalf of Fiji

Thank you very much, my brother. I hope and pray to GOD that you put your name down for a place at the CA, for Fiji need the likes of you – patriotic sons of Fiji – to decide on the fate of our tortured nation!

You say “What the hell has the President of Fiji done wrong but serve the nation in every way he can?”

The President signs off every decree that comes out the Khaiyum’s legal sweatshop. Every human rights abusing decree is done in his name.

Every month without fail he would sign PER. Then willingly he gave his assent to the Media Decree, the Essential Industries Decree etc. etc. etc. If you are going to remove your people’s fundamental human right’s then you have to accept consequences from countries which hold those principles dear. Of Course a President of a dictatorship should be banned from Australia and of course so should his family members.

But back to the main point of your article. Fiji, if your sources are correct is going to stop Australia sending a High Commissioner to Fiji.

What possible benefit does that give Fiji?

Will it force Australia to change its smart sanctions? No. But maybe high level diplomatic discussions with a high commissioner in place could?

Yawn. You are like a dog with a bone. Human rights abusing decrees? You mean the Essential Industries Decree? So a brace of union fat cats hold entire industries and the general economy to ransom, not to improve the conditions of ordinary workers but to retain their privileges and power and you cast it as a human rights abuse when the Government says “excuse me” ? Get real.

The President is the Head of State, not a political player. He signs what is put in front of him. But, of course, your view is that he should refuse to do so whatever the merits of the legislation because it’s all “illegal”. This is the nihilism of the Government’s opponents. They don’t want reforms to create a more equal society. They just want the whole thing to fall over. It ain’t going to happen so the sooner you realise it, the sooner you can join the party.

I’m sorry old chap but since when am I required to to be dictated to by phantoms? The benefit of banning the Australian High Commissioner is to send a strong message to the Australian Government that its travel bans are unacceptable and Fiji is not prepared to bow to Australian bullying. If it continues with the policy, Fiji will continue to disengage and chart it own course and Australia will become increasingly marginalised in its ability to influence events in its own backyard. The Australian policy is a miserable failure. It hasn’t brought the Fijian Government to heel and Fiji is establishing new friends and resuming its leadership role in the region. All the policy does is demonstrate Australia’s impotence. Is that a good enough answer?

Just wanted to clarify, I believe that when the foreign ministers of both nations sat in sydney to negotiate a way forward, part of the understandings was certain loose grips on sanctions were gonna be adopted along with exchanges of diplomats. If I’m hearing it correctly Fiji had agreed to accept the Australian diplomats in return of a first few sanctions being lifted as a start to their earlier sydney agreement.
Now in the world of negotiations either in the political or other fields it normally means an actual give and take deposition. So to answer your question about the benefits Fiji and its people is set to gain from banning the Australian high commissioner, well for starters their sovereignty, trust and respect won’t be cheapen.

The people of Fiji and Australia already have trust and respect for each other. I see it every day in the resorts in this country where the Australian tourists treat their hosts with respect and trust and vice versa. To the average person in Fiji Sovereignty is meaningless. It is a big word used by the 4 wheel driving brigade and the soldiers to justify themselves but means nothing to me. As far as I am concerned we are still a sovereign nation whether we allow the High Comm into the country or not.

So please tell me how does banning the Australian High Comm help me a Fijian?
How is it going to increase investment? It is not, it will decrease Aussie investment.
How is it going to increase Aussie tourist numbers? It is not, it will decrease Aussie tourist numbers.
Is it going to reassure other foreign investors? No it is not.

The country has seen a massive increase in poverty and a loss of employment in the past 6 years. Surely if this Government wants to help the people it will do so by improving the investment climate in Fiji. Banning the Aussie High Comm is only going to harm that.

So again Graham or Moto Bitu give me one tangible benefit to the people of Fiji from banning the Aussie High Comm. Massaging Frank’s ego does not count as a tangible benefit.

Don’t be absurd. Australian tourism numbers are at an all time high. Your average Australian doesn’t give a hoot about dislodging the Bainimarama Government. It’s the Labor Party and their union backers who insist on pursuing a policy that simply doesn’t work and is making Australia look pathetic.

Fiji Regime is not a Victim, I notice Graham has not replied to that Duo chap – it seems o me he is robustly defending the illegal regime for he has applied to sit at the Constituent Assembly – normally he is very quick to accept or reject accusations or calls – have you or have you not applied to be a member of the CA? Graham, where were you since 1987 when Indo-Fijians began suffering – never a word from you, until 2006 coup, so please stop being a champion of multi-racialism protecting Indo-Fijian rights in Fiji

Honestly, I just despair about the level of misinformation and mischief peddled in Fiji to advance particular causes. I have NOT applied to be on the Constituent Assembly and have no interest in doing so. It hadn’t even crossed my mind.

I am not interested in advancing the Indo-Fijian cause either. I am interested in advancing the cause of all Fijians. Where on earth does someone like you get this stuff? Is it fed to you or does it well up spontaneously from the fetid recesses of your own mind? Some of the stuff I’m reading about myself on Fijileaks and other websites is just pure concoction. As Goebbels said, the bigger the lie, the more believable. It’s a concept that’s taken root in Fiji, that’s for sure.

As for allegedly doing nothing in 1987, I reported both coups in 87 and was also in Fiji before the first coup, when I did a piece for the Nine Network on the Bavadra Government and its multiracial agenda. So, again, what on earth do you base this claim on? You have no idea what I did but press on regardless. Breathtaking.

Silent watcher, Graham is not out to protect Indo-Fijian rights. he champions multiracialism and genuine democracy. Under the former structure both Indo-Fijians and ethnic Fijians were being oppressed by elite Fijians allied with capitalist interests using democracy as a front for their own personal gain benefit. I can’t go into details but there are many, many examples. You just have to read more and be a bit more analytical about your readings. 2006 coup should not have happend, but was inevitable because it is linked to the 2000 coup, which in turn is linked to the 1987 coup. if the 1987 coup did not happen, then perhaps 2000 coup would not have happened, and logically neither the 2005 coup. In other words, you cannot look at the 2005 coup in isolation. I am not a coup apologist, just stating some unpleasant facts. Fiji is a young nation experiencing growing pains. 2005 coup should not have happened, but it did, we have to live with it, and find the least messiest way out. Graham was bron in Fiji. he feels for the country and is making a stand against injustice is his own way. Anyone who knows Fiji history and is well read about Fiji as Graham is would feel angry by how the masses have ben exploited by various coup makers, political and and leaders who actively sowed discord to further their own interests.

You’re jumping around in your analysis. Firstly try to separate the people from the government of both nations. Also you’re making it out as if the coup is the sole reason of poverty and unemployment. You seem to avoid the economy fiasco of the western nation in 2008, the small economy Fiji has or should I say always have which will always be a speed bump in employment and autobahn to poverty.
You’re right Fiji is still a sovereign nation with or without the high commission, it also can assure other foreign investors because they haven’t banned all other countries high commissioner, just Australia and New Zealand. As for the Aussie tourist well it goes back to separating the government from the people. The people choose whether to visit or not, the government can’t stop them, it may try to advise against it but based on the recent statistics of both nations tourism sector the Aussie people seems to care less what their government thinks.
You asked what tangible effect banning the Aussie high commissioner does to us in Fiji, well it sends the Aussie government a clear message that you do not dictate to us how we run our shit and when you agree to certain negotiations like the one done in sydney make sure you actually do as you say or put it simply don’t fuckin lie to us and try and take us for fools.

Graham, I hope the Fiji election is a success next year and we can look towards a brighter future. As for the critics, they can scream as much as they like because this time, there is genuine work being done on the ground. There a lot of scholarships on offer and civil servants are under more pressure to perform. I am all for changing old ways of thinking. We are going to vote the old rubbish out of power this time. As for the commissioner getting banned, this is unfortunate and not much we can do about it. She is nice but Fiji needs to assert itself. We are independent and should pursue our goals and not what others are telling us.

The labour government in Australia are full of faggots and lesbos like Carr and Julia. In fact that stupid Labasian Brij Lal has got a lot of influence on the Gillard government. I have revoked my Aussie citizenship last year, distanced myself from the current Methodist Church hierachy, and now fully support the visions of the Bainimarama government as enshrined in the 11 pillars of the People’s Charter.

Together with many other people I was an active supprter of the SDL government. We have now seen the light and the damage it’s fierce racist policies was about to instill onto the people of Fiji.

The elite of the SDL government, the GCC, the Methodist church’s top hierachy and all their puppets were going to benefit financially.

So……………… in came Bainimarama and gave boot to all those cartoons.

What’s wrong with that ?????????

All the Bainimarama critics in this forum prefer to dance to the out of tune music of AUZ/NZ governments.

Ohhhhhhhhhh………. they can and let them continue doing it.

They are really a irrelevant mob of hyenas to the vision of moving Fiji forward in unison !!!

Just because the honourable Prime Minister Bainimarama has put a halt to these sort of dancing, we are now in same category as Burma, Iran, Syria, Libya, North Korea and Zimbabwe.

Those knuckle heads in Canberra must be out of their minds.

The Australians especially (Labour government, that is) has a hidden agenda in Fiji. They do not want Fiji to prosper in all facets of life. Fiji is the only Pacific Island that has the potential prosper to go to great heights.

But they cannot fathom this idea so they wanna keep us under wraps. Brij Lal will attest to this.

Therefore, I say……………. we do not need an Australian High Comissioner to Fiji. The government should reject it outright. We can live without one.

I think Graham and Moto Bitu has answered all questions really well from Cin Cin and ‘Fiji Regime is not a Victim’.

I believe majority of Fijians love the Aussies and appreciate all Aust has done for Fiji in terms of aid, development, trade, etc. But what the Aussies are doing to Fiji with regards to the ban in my view isn’t welcomed anymore.

This action seems to be simple bullying – and doesn’t help anyone or the situation Fiji is in. Perhaps a poll should be conducted to identify whether alot of people agree or disagree to this banning? It will show a strong signal to those in power in Aust – so maybe the poll should be done

I wonder whether this ban will apply to people who sit in the Constituent Assembly?

I actually agree with the main thrust of Graham’s argument – its a bit odd agreeing to engage and then turning round and doing something like this. Its also a bit of a shame that the reaction from the regime was so predictable.

I don’t expect Graham to answer all of my questions – its his blog, I’m a casual reader, and if I don’t like it I can go somewhere else. We’re all big boys.

It is only the illegitimate regime of Fiji that feels bullied by Australia. The people of Fiji obviously do not feel bullied by Australia, because in Graham’s favourite poll, the Lowy Poll, Australia was the most popular foreign country in Fiji by some margin.

The sanctions do not affect ordinary Fijians in any way and you are way off the mark if you think Taito going to Australia is affecting ordinary Fijians. The performance of FNPF has been declining for years and it has reached such epic proportions under this dictator that Pensions had to be more than halved. To try and blame that Australia banning Taito is going to adversely affect the performance of the FNPF is like saying that a fart caused the devastation from Cyclone Evan.

I can quite legitimately separate the people of Fiji from the current government. The people did not vote for this regime. The regime continues to produce decrees that have no support. The regime refuses to provide Auditor General’s reports so we can see how our money is being spent by these conmen and thieves.

Added to which the real bully in the South Pacific is the RFMF. Every day the people of Fiji are forced to listen and read threatening statements from the Land Force Commander.
“Let me tell you this, don’t mess with the RFMF,” etc.etc.

If Fiji bans Twomey it is a unilateral action by the dictator in Fiji. It does not even have the support of Fiji’s Foreign Minister, who will watch silently as he sees years of careful negotiations undone in a fit of pique.

To ban Twomey will harm relationships not just with Australia but with all of Fiji’s traditional friends. On the other hand I am sure China, Malaysia, Iran and North Korea will be delighted. By the way who has been more generous in the wake of Cyclone Evan? Fiji’s old friends or its new friends. We all know the answer and that big horrible ugly bully Australia has sent the most aid to Fiji.

Australia does not give aid to Fiji purely out of the goodness of its heart – far from it.
Aid is a geopolitical tool. It always comes with conditions/strings attached.
Aid programme is designed to benefit australia at various levels, from social, diplomatic to economic.
Fiji is major market for australian goods, australians have investments in fiji.
Through aid Australia protects and grows this market.
We are a tourist destination for stressed out australian workers.
We send tourists back refreshed, recharged and in good shape.
Much of the tourist profits go back to Australia.
In trying to bring about stability, Aust is to be applauded.
But Australia is also looking after its own interests.
I am not saying self-interest is wrong, just stating it is the case also.
Stability means a stronger market for australian goods, services, investments.
So aid is an investment, as well as a geopolitical weapon.
It is not a one-way street, Australia is too smart for that – it is a give and take.
But colonialists are a cunning breed.
They will have us believe that it is one-way street, and use aid as blackmail.
You have to give it to the colonialists – even while screwing you, they wil tell you it is for your own good.
And actually make you believe it.
Much of the aid goes back to australia anyway – heard of boomerang aid?
We love australia, but we hate it when australia and australians patronise us.
We want to continue doing ‘business’.
But we won’t fall on our knees, or bow to the master.
Colonialism is history (neo-colonialism remains though).
If need be we can and will survive without Australia.
So do not overrate or overestimate yourself.

Hello? Who is the real bully in the South Pacific? Is it the RFMF throwing aid money at small Pacific nations to buy political support at the UN and in the Forum Secretariat? Is the RFMF setting up camps for asylum seekers in the Pacific through bribery? Is the RFMF using influence to side step extradition laws in the Solomons?

That same lowly poll had the current govt supported by some margin. Your claim that the sanction doesn’t affect ordinary folks is completely bolllocks. Wifes, daughters, sons, in laws and even boyfriends are ordinary folks. That sanction is not only absurd but in democratic terms of the western nation like europe the founder of democracy that sanction aimed at family members is by all means illeagal. By the same logic Fiji could ban family members of the Aussie govt and its trade unions for interfering in our domestic business thus being a hindarance.
Your suggestion that banning twwoney will harm relationships with not only Aussie but Fiji’s other traditional friends is clinging on thin string. Aussie and NZ are the only traditional buddies I can think of that Fiji right now has banned and as a sovereign nation had every right to. Given their cheque book diplomacy tac perhaps the only thing thats worse then banning them is allowing them into the country and showing no balls when they try to interfere with our domestic case.
I believe the disadvantage far outweighs the advantage of their presence in Fiji. Also Aussie pm’s decision not to follow through with their foreign ministers agreement in the sydney talks has more damage to their foreign ministry then it is to ours because our pm was ready to follow through with our foreign ministers agreement in the sydney talk. And that not only damages Aussie foreign ministry relationship with Fiji but their reputation in the region will be tested.

Thank you. Victor Lal also lied that our leader Mahendra Chaudhry was hiding millions in his Australian bank accounts. In one of your postings, you say, Lal had obtained the Draft Constitution illegally. Maybe, it is time Lal was charged – for obtaining both our leader’s tax files and the DC illegally. I wonder how he obtained it illegally (the DC), and if so, he should be charged and not our dear leader Mahend. Graham, keep up the good work – we love you!

Good try Indo-Fijian farmer but you not fooling anyone. The proof that mahen was hiding million of dollars in secret bak account in Australia is irrefutable, except to a blind mahen supporter like you. I do not think you are a farmer, you are a mahen lackey.

You wonder how victor obtained documents implicating mahen, we are wondering how Fiji’s Robin Hood obtained all that money. I for one donated to mahen’s fundraising drives abroad thinking it was for the poor.

I like hundreds of otters have no idea where the money went. Looks like in fat cat mahen’s bank account.If he is really champion of the poor, mahen should donate the money which was meant for poor in the first place.

You say victor should be charged, I say he did really well to expose mahen, if anyone should be charged it is mahen, and he has been, which is really good.

And, do not say “our dear leader”. he may be your dear leader, he is not mine; speak for yourself

I must agree with you on this one pal. Chodhary is nothing but a thief who has stolen what was meant for the poor farmers of this country.

It is very true and has been sustatiated with documentary evidence from the Australian banks where he has them stashed.

As for Victor Lal, even though I hate his guts for spreading a lot of lies about the situation in Fiji, I love him for exposing Chodhary’s pilfering habits.

And you are right matey !!!! This Indo- Fijian Farmer is indeed a Chodhary lackey. His real identity is Shammi Kapoor. They were both, together with others locked up in Rakiraki last year for breaching the PER.

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ABOUT GRUBSHEET

Grubsheet Feejee is the blogsite of Graham Davis, a dual Fijian-Australian national working as a media and communications specialist in both countries and in other parts of the Asia Pacific.

Graham has had a four decade-long career in the mainstream media in Britain, Australia and Fiji. He has reported for the BBC, ABC, SBS and the Nine and Seven Networks and has written for a range of newspapers and magazines in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. His multiple awards include Walkley and Logie Awards in Australia and a New York Festivals Medal in the United States.

More recently, Graham has been a consultant to the GeoPolitical Solutions division of the global communications company, Qorvis-MSLGROUP, which represents a range of sovereign clients around the world. Part of his brief is to assist the Fijian Government with its program to introduce the first genuine democracy in the nation’s history in 2014.

Graham is broadly supportive of the Bainimarama Government's reform agenda but invites comments from people of all political persuasions. Please don't label your return volley "anonymous". Give yourself a name or pseudonym so that readers can track your progress over time.

Many of these postings have appeared in mainstream newspapers such as The Australian and the Fiji Sun – where Graham has been a columnist - and on other websites, including newmatilda.com and Pacific Scoop NZ.

Feejee is the original name for Fiji - a derivative of the indigenous Viti and the Tongan Fisi - and was widely used until the late 19th century.